County History

European Discovery and Mission Period

Gaspar de Portola and a party of sixty-two men first entered what is now Orange County on July 22, 1769.[3] Orange County’s only mission, San Juan Capistrano, was founded in 1776. During the Mission Period the area was under the military jurisdiction of the presidio at San Diego and under the rule of Spain. The Mission Period ended following the Secularization Act of 1833 and, while most of the mission communities disintegrated rapidly, the village of San Juan Capistrano survived. [4]

Rancho Days

The only Spanish grant in what is now Orange County was Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. This grant to Antonio Yorba and Pablo Peralta was a very large grant made in 1810 covering the areas to the east and south of the Santa Ana River.[5] Spain’s authority ended in1821 and grants made after this were by the Mexican government. For a detailed description of the method of land granting by the Mexicans see “Land Grant Policies an the Ranchos” by William McPherson[6] The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in January 1848 ended the war with Mexico and the United States acquired California along with much other territory. The United States agreed to honor the many existing Mexican land grants but many had unclear title. The Americans wanted land and some of it was purchased and some taken. [7]

Formation of Orange County

When California became a state in 1850, the area of what is now Orange County became part of Los Angeles County. As the area grew, dissatisfaction with the distance from the governing seat of Los Angeles grew as did interest in separating from Los Angeles County. In 1889, at the time of creation of the county, there were only three incorporated cities, Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Orange.[8] Oranges were not common in this county at the time that the suggestion of Orange County was made in 1871. “…to encourage immigration, the area was boomed by real estate promoters as a semi-tropical paradise—a place where anything could grow… The name orange has a Mediterranean flavor about it, so for that reason it was selected to suggest our climate…By 1889, after a devastating blight wiped out the grape industry, oranges had indeed become our most promising crop, even if they were not responsible per se for the county’s naming” [9]

Boundary Changes - none

Record Loss

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Anaheim, the home of Disneyland, is the most populated city in Orange County. It was first settled by Germans in 1854 who named the city. It was incorporated in 1857. The name refers to the fact that it is the "home" of the Santa "Ana" River. The northern part of the county is heavily populated and the southern area is growing rapidly.

Census

The first census in which you will find Orange County is the 1900 US Population Schedule. Orange County census records include 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 (coming in April 2012).

Cities and unincorporated areas in present-day Orange County are included with the County of Los Angeles for the US Population Schedules 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880.

Industry and Agriculture Schedules exist for Los Angeles County including the areas of Orange County for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

Mortality Schedules also exist for Los Angeles County including the areas of Orange County for the years 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880.

The state of California took one state census in 1852 which includes the areas of Orange County as part of Los Angeles County. This census images are available through Ancestry.com ($) and a name index is avaliable through FamilySearch.org, California, State Census, 1852.

Church History and Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about California denominations, view the California Church Records wiki page.

Roman Catholic

The first Catholic missions were organized in 1769. Most of the mission records begin in 1770 and are on film. The Family History Library and the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley have extensive collections of the early records. For the index to these records, see:

Many original mission records and other Catholic records have been gathered into central repositories. These include:

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens website features the Early California Population Project (ECPP) which provides public access to all the information contained in California's historic mission registers. Records include baptism, marriage and burial records for each of the California missions including the San Juan Capitstrano Mission in Orange County. Records include information on Indians, soldiers, and settlers of Alta California from 1769-1850.

The main criminal courthouse is at 700 Civic Center Drive, Santa Ana, California. There are three branch courts but even more locations. North Court is in Fullerton. West Court is in Westminster. Harbor Court has locations in Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel and Laguna Hills. The Lamoreaux Justice Center is in Orange.

Crime and Criminals

Directories

Ethnic, Religious, or Political Groups

Germans

Gazetteers

Genealogy

History

Local histories are available for Orange County, California Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section California Local Histories.

The greatest repositories of Local Histories are at the Orange Large Family History Center, 674 South Yorba, Orange, California, and the collection of the Orange County Genealogical Society, located at the Huntington Beach Public Library, 7111 Talbert Avenue, Huntington Beach, California. Also noted is the Orange Public Library and History Center, 407 East Chapman Avenue, Orange, California (714) 288-2400

Land and Property

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See California Land and Property for additional information about early California land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

The County is served by the Orange County Register and the Orange County edition of the Los Angeles Times. The Orange Family History Center has a collection of Microfilmed L.A. Times archives (incomplete) and there are additional collections at the University of California, Irvine, and California State University, Fullerton

Repositories

Archives, Libraries and Museums

Huntington Beach Central Library7111 Talbert AveHuntington Beach, CA 92648Phone: (714) 842-4481, Ext. 2227GENEALOGY DEPARTMENTThe Library’s collection of over 18,000 genealogical books is maintained by the Orange County California Genealogical Society (OCCGS). The Genealogy collection is housed at the Central Library and is for reference use only (items cannot be checked out). The public is welcome to attend general membership meetings which are held the first Saturday of each month (except for June and December) at the Central Library. For more information, please visit http://www.occgs.com

County Courthouse

The Courthouse (Superior court) is not a recommended source for Genealogical Data.

The County Recorder is where most vital record and land records are housed, but most of the vital records are now protected by California law, and the Recorder would be of little help except to immediate relatives.

LAND AND PROPERTY: The Orange County Archives has all the propertyrecords from Orange County from 1889 to 1953, including indices, deeds,mortgages, homesteads, reconveyances, and other Official Records. Thesesame record series, post-1953, can be found at the Orange CountyClerk-Recorder's Office.

MAPS: The Orange County Archives has thousands of maps, from the1860s through today.

MILITARY: The Orange County Archives have military discharge papers(DD-214s from WWI through the 1970s) and also information about localWorld War I veterans.

NATURALIZATION & CITIZENSHIP: The Orange County Archives has ALLthe naturalization documentation from Orange County from 1889 to theearly 1980s.

PERIODICALS: The Orange County Archives contain an assortment oflocal magazines, including a run of Orange County Illustrated from 1964to 1977.

TAXATION: Orange County assessment records (1889-1962) are held bythe Orange County Archives. Later records are held by the Orange CountyAssessor's office.

BURIAL RECORDS: Orange County Archives hold burial indexes (1889-1931) as well as an incomplete set of early burial certificates for the northern part of the County.

VOTER REGISTRATION: The original Great Register of Voters(1890-1968) is available at the Orange County Archives. The earlierGreat Registers include additional information that does not appear inother copies and transcriptions available elsewhere.

Taxation

California tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page California Taxation.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the CDC Where to Write website for information on acquiring copies of these records. The State office has records since July 1905. For earlier records, contact the County Recorder.

Due to identity theft, California Law now restricts vital records access to immediate family. The Orange Regional Family History Center has access to state-wide databases of Births, Deaths, Marriages and voter registrations. These were compiled before the change in California law, and are not complete. Birth is available to 1986 Death to 1993 Voter registration to 1993 There are also marriage records available at The Western States Marriages at Brigham Young University-Idaho